Ongoing conflicts
__TOC__ New Chilean Range War With massive plains and virgin farmlands, New Chile was considered one of the best locations for imported Earth cattle. Independent ranchers settled near the coasts, while inland areas were administered by agro-corporations such as Ecos, Xanbar, and GreenBio. However, eventually the larger corporate farms inland desired to expand outwards into the coast, and pressured independent farms to sell their property at prices far lower than market value. Most refused, and afterwards a string of ranch attacks followed on several notable independent ranchers. While they could not be directly tied to the agro-corps, most independents banded together in ad-hoc militias to defend their cattle, initiating a guerilla war against the corporations and the New Chilean colonial government, which had been actively siding with the corporations in legal battles for years. War in the Mountains The Treaty of Union was passed by an overhwleming referendem, but its passage was not popular everywhere. The isolated United Nations planet of Trim seceded from the United Nations almost as soon as word of the treaty had been signed, leading to prolonged turmoil. While it was mostly contained in the first five years, a slow-burning insurgency still continues. Saalin Crisis A mining colony at the very edge of UE influence, Saalin was colonized for its rich asteroid belt. However, more viable mining colonies founded elsewhere soon led to a major economic depression, and many former prospectors and miners turned to piracy. With every single asteroid home to a possible small base, the colonial government's navy finds itself overstretched, and often, outgunned. While the UE has sent a token task force to deal with the problem, Saalin's government has become increasingly frustrated at the UE's lukewarm commital and has turned to hiring mercenaries and PMCs to surpress piracy, with extremely mixed results. Shangri Civil War Controlling ten star systems, The Socialist Republic of Shangri is not a part of the United Empire at all, and is a sovereign, independent state bordering the UE. Seceding from the United Nations early in its history, it has experienced phases of political turmoil since its founding, though most only lasted months at most. After a contested election, the sitting president Jon Hudon declared a state of emergency, suspending many liberties and repressing free speech. In response, four of Shangri's star system seceded, along with their navies. After an few, furious weeks of initial fighting, the militaries of both sides began to engage in smaller raiding tactics, and funding planetary rebels. Now, Shangri is divided into two factions: Presidential Shangri, and Democratic Shangri. Each side refuses to make the first move, locking the region into a cold war. The United Empire's attempts to mediate have failed, and most experts predict it is only a matter of time before the conflict becomes hot again. X28 Insurgency A group of radical Haas Suul anti-unionists, the X28 gained their name from their first public target, the X28 asteroid mining facility in the New Haiti system. Using explosives, they disabled the facility's power generators, leaving the inhabitants to asphyxiate. Over the next ten years, they have staged similar attacks on other infrastructure targets, leading most of their members to become among the Top 50 most wanted criminals in the UE. It is suspected they number no more than 20, and six have been killed with shootouts with local law enforcement since their campaign began.